


Forgetting the Old-Fashioned Way

by prissygirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Complete, One Shot, Rumbelle - Freeform, Season/Series 04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-15 05:16:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3434936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prissygirl/pseuds/prissygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A.K.A. The one where Belle and Regina drink and commiserate about lost love.<br/>Belle had hoped a few drinks at the bar might help her forget about her husband for a while. She didn’t expect to spend the night talking to Regina. Takes place post 4x11 "Heroes and Villains".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forgetting the Old-Fashioned Way

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to my beta, B does the write thing!

The Rabbit Hole was smoky, dark, and smelled of stale alcohol.

Belle had spent enough time there during her stint as Lacey to know that this was hardly abnormal.

Ever since she had banished Rumpelstiltskin, evenings had become the worst part of her day. Her work at the library helped her to forget for a while, but come closing time she found herself with nothing to do but remember. She’d tried everything to distract herself from the overwhelming sense of loss and the righteous anger she felt towards the man who, only a month before, had promised to be hers forever.

The house they had shared was too empty now, too quiet, and too full of painful memories. She had decided earlier that evening that if she was going to drink, she was going to do it right. The Rabbit Hole seemed a fitting place for her to drown her sorrows. It also had the added bonus of being a place no one would think to look for her.

The bartender, seeming to sense that she wasn’t in the mood to talk, merely put her drink in front of her and moved on to his other customers.

Everything was going to plan until one of her least favorite Storybrooke residents showed up. Belle hunched forward at the bar, hoping that her presence might go unseen or, at the very least, unacknowledged.

Belle had no such luck. Regina Mills strode over to the bar and right up to her. Before Regina could even open her mouth, Belle snapped at her.

“What do you want?”

The venom in Belle’s voice took Regina by surprise. She shifted uncomfortably. “I thought I’d check on you.”

Belle glared at her. “You locked me away for thirty years. I’m supposed to believe you care about my well-being all of the sudden?”

Regina shrugged, sliding onto the stool next to Belle and signaling the bartender. “I’ve changed.”

Belle snorted. “I’ve heard that one before.”

As Regina ordered a dirty martini, Belle looked the woman over. Her hair lay flat on her head and instead of the designer suits or dresses she usually wore, Regina had on a simple white blouse, skinny jeans, and simple flats.  

No jewelry, no makeup. And was that...a zit?

Belle took another swallow of her drink and marveled at the change in Regina. The former mayor was known for being immaculately dressed in even the most dangerous of times. Tide nor time, nor even a magical disaster, could prevent Regina from looking fabulous.

She must have really loved Robin, Belle thought. She turned her attention back to her drink and eyed the empty bottom of her glass contemptuously.

“Can I get you another one?” Regina asked, startling Belle out of her thoughts.

Belle shrugged. “Why not? It’s not like you don’t owe me after all those years of forced sobriety.”

Regina winced. “Touché.” She gestured for the bartender to bring Belle another round.

They sat in companionable silence until the bartender walked over, setting the amber drink in front of Belle.

Regina let out a low whistle. “I wouldn’t have figured you for a whiskey drinker. Shouldn’t you be drinking something fruity with a little umbrella in it?”

“Fruity drinks are for celebrating,” Belle said. “I plan on wallowing in my misery.” She took a large drink. Regina appeared impressed despite herself when Belle didn’t grimace at the taste. “Besides, I picked up a taste for it when I was Lacey.” She gave Regina a pointed look. “Yet another thing I can thank you for.”

Regina held up her own glass. “Well, here’s to wallowing in our misery then.”

The two chinked glasses.

They spent the next few minutes sitting there quietly, nursing their drinks. Belle was no stranger to sitting in silence. She and Rumple had often passed hours together this way in the Dark Castle. She would read by the fire while he would spin. Even here in Storybrooke, they had done the same – though the moments alone had been few and far between. There had been little of those precious moments during their short marriage. Probably because he’d been far too busy planning his betrayal, Belle thought angrily.

But this silence with Regina was different. It was heavy and oppressive and so very _awkward_. 

Belle was done with being patient, especially for someone she still didn’t completely trust. On top of that, Regina was currently ruining her buzz.

“Why are you really here, Regina?”

The other woman raised her eyebrows and set her drink down. “I keep forgetting that the bookworm’s got teeth.”

Belle shook her head in disgust. “That’s another thing I hate about this town. I have helped you all so many times with my research, and yet you all seem to forget I exist the moment you don’t need me.”

Regina had the decency to look ashamed. She nodded her head towards Belle. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Belle didn’t say anything but acknowledged the comment with a short nod of her own. Regina let out the breath she had been holding and continued. “Look, I suppose it was a mistake for me to intrude on your evening like this, but I just wanted to let you know that I understand what you’re going through.”

When Belle opened her mouth to argue, Regina held up a hand to stall her. “Not exactly, of course, but we both just lost our true love,” Regina looked like she was floundering for words, “and I know what it cost you to let him go.”

The argument on Belle’s lips died and she gripped the glass in her hand tighter. She knew the liquor within was hardly a healthy lifeline, but it was all that had helped numb the pain so far.

“Your true love left for noble reasons,” Belle said, her voice coming out harsher than usual. “I forced mine to leave.”

Several tears began to trail down Belle’s face and she quickly reached a hand up to wipe them away. She hoped Regina wouldn’t notice, but she had no such luck. Thankfully, the other woman didn’t say anything, looking away while Belle tried to compose herself.

“You know he’ll be back.”

It wasn’t a question, Belle noted. Regina believed Rumple would return, despite the enchantment on the town line.

“And why would he want to do that?” Belle asked. She knew she sounded bitter, but she didn’t care. There was no need to pretend around Regina, the only other person in the town that possibly understood Rumple at all. Belle drowned the last of her whiskey and motioned for the bartender to bring another.

Regina gave her a disbelieving look. “Because you’re his happy ending. Surely you know that.”

Belle tapped her fingers against her glass absentmindedly. “I’m not certain about anything anymore,” she said softly.

Regina laid a reassuring hand on the younger woman’s arm. Belle looked her warily, but didn’t move away.

“Before he left, Rumpelstiltskin told me that he wanted me to be happy. He believed that the _villains_ could find a happy ending. He said he was about to achieve his.” Regina looked Belle straight in the eyes and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “And you were part of that.”

Belle looked away, more tears filling her eyes. She gently pulled her am from Regina’s grasp.

“But I wasn’t the biggest part.”

Her comment hung heavy in the air between them.

Regina gave her a sad smile, but didn’t argue with her. Belle didn’t feel like saying anything else, so she turned back to her empty glass. The bartender brought her drink over and Belle realized he must have been waiting, so as to not interrupt their tense conversation.

Belle swirled the liquid in the glass, watching as the bar lights reflected off the surface.

“Do you mind if I stay?”

The timid voice that asked the question didn’t seem to belong to the Regina that Belle had come to know. Belle glanced back at her and saw Regina looking at her anxiously, blinking back unshed tears.

Belle had never seen the former evil queen look so vulnerable before. She knew she would be well within her rights to ask Regina to leave. Belle still hadn’t found the strength within herself to completely forgive and forget the wrongs Regina had done to her in the past.

But as Belle looked at her, she didn’t see the woman who had brought her so much pain. All she saw was another woman, drinking to forget the bright and happy future that had only recently crumbled to dust. Despite their differences, Regina was right. They were the only two in Storybrooke who could possibly understand the loss the other felt.

“Yeah,” Belle said. “I could use a drinking buddy.”

Regina smiled and raised her glass. “Here’s to forgetting the old-fashioned way.”

Belle raised her glass. “To unlikely drinking buddies.”

They clinked their glasses together and Belle felt herself smile for the first time in weeks.

Maybe she could make it through this after all, she thought.


End file.
